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Courtney Combs may have run into some bad luck in his 13th campaign when he unofficially finished only seven votes behind T.C. Rogers of West Chester in the Butler County Commission Republican primary March 6, 2012. Prior to the primary, Combs had won 12th straight campaigns. In photo, Combs votes on the morning of Super Tuesday at Ross Middle School. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Only one thing is certain about the Butler County Commission Republican primary, the incumbent Chuck Furmon is due to lose his seat that he held since 1996.

What is unclear is if the unofficial results, which have political newcomer and small business owner T.C. Rogers of West Chester Township on top with 11,442 votes or 35.58 percent of the vote, will hold up (results as of 1 a.m. Wednesday).

The other candidate in the race, former Butler County Commissioner and State Rep. Courtney Combs, finished only seven votes behind (11,435 votes) Rogers.

According to The Enquirer, the close finish automatically triggers a recount due to Ohio law.

T.C. Rogers finished with only seven more votes than unofficial runner-up Courtney Combs in the Butler County Commission Republican primary March 6, 2012. In photo, Roger speaks at a voter forum in February. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

According to the Pulse Journal, Butler County Board of Elections Director Jocelyn Bucaro said a recount would not be ordered until approximately 368 absentee ballots and 400 provisional have been counted at a later date.

Rogers was told by colleagues, who have worked on other campaigns, that the process could take 10 days.

“I would rather be seven up then seven down,” Rogers said late Tuesday night.

“I was up against two long-time politicians, so I knew I had a hill to climb.”

Unlike Rogers, who was running for the first time, today’s election marked the 13th campaign for Combs.

“I have won 12 in row. I am confident but not overconfident, so we will see if 13 is a good number for me,” Combs said on Tuesday morning after voting at Ross Middle School.

“This is a totally different race for me. I have never been in a contested primary.”

Combs has to give up his state seat for the 54th District after five terms in office. He was a commissioner for 17 years before heading to the state Capitol in 2004.

Whoever comes out on top after the recount, they will face Democrat Jodi Billerman of Liberty Township and Libertarian Daryl R. Olthaus in November.

Romney wins Ohio: The Enquirer reported at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday that Mitt Romney won Ohio on Super Tuesday. With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Romney had 38 percent of the vote (451,972 votes) and Rick Santorum had 37 percent of the vote (439,932 votes. Newt Gingrich was third with 15 percent and Ron Paul was fourth with 9 percent. More on the story visit Cincinnati.com.

Swain takes Clerk of Courts primary: Incumbent Mary Swain has defeated former deputy clerk Jeff Wyrick in the county clerks race. Swain finished with 60.8 percent of the vote, while Wyrick finished with 39 percent. In January of 2011, Swain narrowly defeated Wyrick in a vote administered by the Butler County Republican Party. Swain took over the position left vacant by Cindy Carpenter, who was appointed as a county commissioner.

Mandel cruises to primary win: Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel easily won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. He will have to face Democrat Sherrod Brown in November. A recent poll released by Quinnipiac University, showed that Brown leads Mandel 48 percent to 35 percent.

Boehner defeats Lewis by wide margin: The most convincing Super Tuesday win may have been House Speaker John Boehner, who received 83.9 percent of the vote in the 8th Congressional District Republican primary. His opponent, David Lewis, had 16.1 percent of the vote.

“The House is committed to breaking down barriers to job growth, excessive regulations, higher taxes, big government and out-of-control government spending in Ohio and across the country,” Boehner stated in response to his victory in the 8th District. “I am honored that the 8th District Republicans want me to continue that fight on their behalf in Washington.”

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Tags: Tags: 8th Congressional District Republican primary, Butler County Board of Elections, Butler County Clerk of Courts Republican primary, Butler County commission race, Butler County Election 2012, Chuck Furmon, David Dodt, David Lewis, Donna Glisman, Eric LaMont Gregory, Jeff Wyrick, John Boehner, Josh Mandel, Liberty Township election, Mary Swain, Michael Pryce, Mitt Romney, newt gingrich, Ohio election 2012, Ohio U.S. Senate Republican primary, Republican presidential race, Rick Santorum, ron paul, Senator Sherrod Brown, Sherrod Brown, T.C. Rogers, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, West Chester election

Without any local issues on the ballot, much of the focus of residents of West Chester and Liberty townships is on the Republican presidential primary.

With Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in a virtual dead heat, according to recent state polls, the 66 convention delegates in Ohio could significantly impact the final result of the Republican presidential race.

“This is probably the most important election in my lifetime,” said Mark Hendryx, 48, of Liberty Township. “We have to change things otherwise my kids will not enjoy the prosperity that I was able to enjoy.”

To make a change, Republicans must decide who deserves the nomination and it appears that local voters have mixed opinions of the candidates. When thinking on who to vote for, Hendryx said that he really struggled with his decision. Eventually, he decided to vote for Romney.

“I have struggled with this election more than I have with any other before,” Hendryx said. “I don’t think Newt (Gingrich) is electable, so it comes down to Santorum or Romney and it has been a real struggle, but I really feel that the more electable person right now is Romney.”

Fellow Liberty Township resident Mike Gardner also decided to vote for Romney – citing the electability factor after once supporting Gingrich. Both Hendryx and Gardner also mentioned Romney’s business experience as a strength.

• Early GOP voters in West Chester speak out on the candidates
• West Chester and Liberty Township Super Tuesday voting guide
• Track results and find polling locations on Butler County Board Elections website
• Santorum wins Tea Party straw poll; Romney gains ground
• Cincinnati.com Election Page – full coverage of all races

“I would rather have Newt, but unfortunately the general population will look at his past history and may not consider him because of that,” Gardner said. “Mitt Romney doesn’t have any past history that may cause him to lose votes.”

Liberty Township resident Catherine Brink votes on Super Tuesday in Ohio. Brink voted for Rick Santorum and believes he is the most conservative choice. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

When it comes to losing votes in Ohio, Romney’s main competition appears to be Santorum, who won last night’s Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll with 42 percent of the vote (Romney finished second with 32 percent).

“I come from a pretty conservative background and Santorum is the one I believe who will best keep up with conservative beliefs,” said Catherine Brink of Liberty Township.

“I think if Mitt Romney were to win, he could still do a good job. I just know that his background was once not as conservative as he is going for now. I am not very confident in that uncertainty, not as confident as I am for Rick Santorum.”

Opinions of interviewed Republican voters today in Liberty Township shared the concerns of Gingrich’s electability over Barack Obama. However, in the end, many decided to stick with Gingrich.

“They have been throwing up so much dirty laundry that I really think that it is at the advantage of the democrats. I think they have been so worried about one another that they forgot who the real enemy is,” said Bill Walker of Liberty Township. “Each of the candidates has good strong points…in the end, I went with Newt, but whoever gets the nomination is going to get my vote opposed to the president.”

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Tags: Tags: Butler County Board of Elections, Butler County Ohio Super Tuesday, Butler County Super Tuesday, GOP primary Ohio, Mitt Romney, newt gingrich, Newt Gingrich Ohio, Rick Santorum, ron paul, Super Tuesday Ohio

If you are not among the group who has already voted, then you might need to know more about the races on Super Tuesday’s ballot.

For those traditionalists, the polls will open today at 6:30 a.m. and will close at 7:30 p.m. To find your polling location, visit www.butlercountyelections.org.

Residents of West Chester and Liberty townships will both vote in the Butler County primaries that include county commission and clerk of courts races.

Federal races include the 8th Congressional District Republican primary, the Ohio U.S. Senate Republican primary and the presidential Republican primary.

Many candidates on the ballot in Butler County are running unopposed.

PRESIDENTIAL REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Ohio is expected to be play crucial role in determining the Republican presidential race on Super Tuesday. Ohio offers 66 convention delegates, which is the second-most of the 10 states that will be involved in voting on Tuesday. Locally, the Liberty Township Tea Party conducted a straw poll Monday – Rick Santorum won the poll with 42 percent of the vote. His opponents, Mitt Romney (32 percent), Newt Gingrich (21 percent) and Ron Paul (5 percent) finished behind the former U.S. Senator of Pennsylvania. It will be interesting to see the results Tuesday, current state polls show a dead heat between Santorum and Romney. More information on the Republican presidential race.

OHIO U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

State Treasurer Josh Mandel has the support of the Tea Party and is the favorite to grab the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate race. Mandel faces four candidates in the primary which include Eric LaMont Gregory, Michael Pryce, David Dodt and Donna Glisman. Whoever wins the primary will have to face Democrat Sherrod Brown in November. A recent poll released by Quinnipiac University, showed that Brown leads Mandel 48 percent to 35 percent. Furthermore, the poll showed that 47 percent of voters approve of Brown’s job performance. More information on the U.S. Senate Republican primary.

BUTLER COUNTY COMMISSION REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

State Rep. Courtney Combs and political newcomer T.C. Rogers are challenging Butler County Commissioner Chuck Furmon in the Butler County commission primary on Tuesday. Furmon has served as a county commissioner since 1996. Meanwhile, Combs has to give up his state seat for the 54th District after five terms in office. Combs was a commissioner for 17 years before heading to the state Capitol in 2004. Rogers is a small business owner who believes in less taxes, less government and more accountability. More information on the Butler County commission race.

8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Speaker John Boehner of West Chester faces competition in the 8th Congressional District by way of Batavia resident David Lewis. Boehner is an 11-term incumbent who was named Speaker of House in Janurary of 2011. His opponent, Lewis, has criticized Boehner for not fighting hard enough for restrictions on abortion. In the local media, Lewis attracted a lot of attention when he ran a graphic anit-abortion ad before the Super Bowl. The ad, which he has featured on his campaign website, showed pictures of aborted fetuses. More information on 8th Congressional District Republican primary.

BUTLER COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Incumbent Mary Swain has a familiar challenger in the Butler County Clerk of Courts primary in former deputy clerk Jeff Wyrick. In January of 2011, Swain narrowly defeated Wyrick in a vote administered by the Butler County Republican Party. Swain took over the position left vacant by Cindy Carpenter, who was appointed as a county commissioner. Both candidates bring a wealth of experience to the position. More information on the Butler County Clerk of Courts Republican primary.

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Tags: Tags: 8th Congressional District Republican primary, Butler County Board of Elections, Butler County Clerk of Courts Republican primary, Butler County commission race, Butler County Election 2012, Chuck Furmon, David Dodt, David Lewis, Donna Glisman, Eric LaMont Gregory, Jeff Wyrick, John Boehner, Josh Mandel, Liberty Township election, Mary Swain, Michael Pryce, Mitt Romney, newt gingrich, Ohio election 2012, Ohio U.S. Senate Republican primary, Republican presidential race, Rick Santorum, ron paul, Senator Sherrod Brown, Sherrod Brown, T.C. Rogers, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, West Chester election

Rick Santorum speaks at the Dayton Christian School March 5. That night, Santorum won the Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll for the second time. Photo taken by Eric Gay of the AP.

The following night after Rick Santorum last won a Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll, he went onto win caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado, as well as a nonbinding primary in Missouri.

After winning another straw poll administered by the same Tea Party on the eve of Super Tuesday, could the former U.S. Senator of Pennsylvania be in store for another big night?

With many of the same participants in Monday’s poll as the first Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll Feb. 6, Santorum finished with 42 percent of the vote. Overall, there wasn’t much change at the top spot since Santorum netted 41 percent of the vote in February.

“I believe Rick Santorum is an honorable man whose heart is in the right place,” said David Kern of Liberty Township. “All four of these candidates could and should beat Barack Obama.”

According to recent Ohio polls, Santorum appears to be in a dead heat with Mitt Romney, who gained some significant ground in the Tea Party straw poll.

Less than a month ago, Romney had 19 percent of the vote. On Monday, he jumped up to 32 percent, taking votes away from Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

Mitt Romney waves to the crowd after his campaign speech at Montgomery Inn Restaurant at The Boathouse in Cincinnati March 3. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

“I voted for Romney because I like his business experience,” said Liberty Township resident Mike Gardner. “He knows how to budget money and I believe he has the right thoughts on how to put the country on the right path.”

In the last straw poll, Gardner voted for Gingrich.

“I would rather have Newt, but unfortunately the general population will look at his past history and may not consider him because of that,” Gardner said. “Mitt Romney doesn’t have any past history that may cause him to lose votes.”

Gardner has also been affected by what he has seen recently on television – including an advertisement where former business partner Robert Gay credited Romney with helping him save his daughter.

Surprisingly slipping in the latest Tea Party straw poll was Gingrich and Paul.

Gingrich, who fell from 32 percent in February to 21 percent on Monday, was the only Republican presidential candidate to visit West Chester and Liberty townships. Just this past Saturday, Gingrich spoke at the Back Porch Saloon in West Chester in front of some Liberty Township Tea Party members.

Paul, who is the only candidate with a campaign office in West Chester, failed to gain any ground – receiving 7 percent of the vote in February and only 5 percent on Monday. Ironically, the Cincinnati Tea Party paid for the space used for the local campaign office.

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Tags: Tags: Butler County Board of Elections, GOP primary Ohio, Liberty Township Tea Party, Liberty Township zoning, Liberty Township zoning meetings, Mitt Romney, newt gingrich, Newt Gingrich Ohio, Newt Gingrich rally, Newt Gingrich rally West Chester, Newt Gingrich Super Tuesday, Newt Gingrich West Chester, Rick Santorum, ron paul, Super Tuesday Ohio, Tea Party meeting, VanGorden Elementary School

Republican candidates for Clerk of Courts Mary Swain looks on as Jeff Wyrick answers a question during the West Chester Tea Party Butler County Voting Forum night at Lakota West Freshman High School Feb. 9, 2012 in West Chester. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

Incumbent Mary Swain has a familiar challenger in the Butler County Clerk of Courts primary in former deputy clerk Jeff Wyrick.

In January of 2011, Swain narrowly defeated Wyrick in a vote administered by the Butler County Republican Party. Swain took over the position left vacant by Cindy Carpenter, who was appointed as a county commissioner.

Shortly after Swain’s appointment, she fired Wyrick and eliminated four other positions, according to the Middletown Journal.

“Since becoming clerk I have refunded $1 million to the county, I have cut my budget to an eight-year low, I am upgrading an obsolete computer system, I have taken my entire staff through customer training and all my supervisors and managers through training – all of which came at no cost to the county,” Swain said.

Many of those accomplishments have been rebuffed by her opponent, who claims that Swain inherited nearly $1 million, was given the low budget figure to meet by the county commissioners and that the computer system upgrade was already in the works statewide in 2010.

Nonetheless, Swain claims to have a long list of to-do items, which includes finishing the computer system upgrade and investigating a new mail system that is projected to save the county between $45,000 to $50,000 a year, according to Swain.

“I have a lot of other things that I want to do,” Swain said. “I have a lot of policy that needs to be re-written. My project list is so long that it is probably three full pages if I wrote it all out.”

Like Swain, who has worked in the common pleas court for 22 years, her opponent is also focusing much of his campaign on experience. Wyrick has 10 years in the clerk’s office and served as the deputy clerk. Furthermore, according to his campaign website, he has 23 years of experience with the courts and has trained clerks and judges in 18 counties.

“What I believe, I bring to the table is 10 years of actual experience in the clerks office,” Wyrick said. “As far as the future, I would like to implement processes that will increase productivity, decrease costs and increase revenue. In my career, I have been able to do that through technology.”

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Tags: Tags: Butler County Clerk of Courts, Butler County Clerk of Courts primary, Jeff Wyrick, Mary Swain

Sheila McLaughlin reports:

Butler County Commissioner Chuck Furmon wants to hold on to his seat. But a state representative who is losing his Columbus job to term limits and a local home builder/real estate agent want to pull it out from under him in March.

Republican candidate for Butler Commissioner T.C. Rogers speaks during the West Chester Tea Party Butler County Clerk of Court and Commissioner Candidate Forum night at Lakota West Freshman High School Thursday February 9, 2012 in Liberty Township. The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

Furmon, a former Hamilton mayor who has served as a county commissioner since 1996, faces a challenge from state Rep. Courtney Combs (Ross Twp.) and political newcomer T.C. Rogers (West Chester) on the Republican primary ballot.

Combs, who represents the 54th District, has to give up that seat after five terms in office. He was a commissioner for 17 years before heading to the state Capitol in 2004 in a job switch with then- Rep. Greg Jolivette. The move, orchestrated by the Butler County GOP, was aimed at heading off a contentious Republican primary.

A fractured local GOP didn’t endorse any of the candidates for the primary race for county commissioner.

Rogers has been critical of Furmon’s performance as a commissioner, saying there is a “mountain of reckless spending” in Butler County government.

Furmon and his colleagues on the commission have trimmed 350 positions from county government and reduced the general fund budget by about 17 percent, from $95 million to $79 million.

Bringing development to Butler County to create jobs is a common theme for Combs and Furmon. Both helped orchestrate the $500 million Liberty Town Square retail development by Steiner + Associates which is being planned at Liberty Way and Interstate 75 in Liberty Township.

Furmon and fellow commissioners recently approved a memorandum of understanding, agreeing for the county to contribute 60 percent of the costs of public infrastructure, which will amount to about $30 million in tax increment financing proceeds. (more…)

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Tags: Tags: Butler County, butler county commission, Chuck Furmon, commissioner, Courtney Combs, election, politcs, republican, T.C. Rogers, West Chester

Amanda Seitz reports

Anyone looking for a David vs. Goliath contest, Ohio’s 8th congressional primary is it.

Speaker of the House John Boehner of West Chester became the 61st Speaker of the House Jan. 5, 2011. Photo taken by Michael E. Keating.

On the one side, there’s Rep. John Boehner, who as Speaker of the House, is one of the most powerful politicians in the country. He’s an 11-term incumbent. He’s raised more than $12 million for his re-election campaign. And he’s well known among his constituents.

His opponent in the March 6 Republican primary is Batavia resident David Lewis. He is a political neophyte. And he doesn’t even live in the district.

Lewis’ main critique of Boehner in the campaign so far has come on the issue of abortion, saying the West Chester Republican has not fought hard enough for restrictions on the procedure. He pointed to Boehner’s role last year in forging an agreement on the annual federal spending bills, which included funding for Planned Parenthood.

Federal law prohibits Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion as well as other health care services to women, from using any federal funds to terminate a pregnancy. Still, some House conservatives fought unsuccessfully to strip all funding for Planned Parenthood out of the spending bills.

“The main reason I’m running is because 50 million babies have died because of the Roe v. Wade case back in January 1973,” Lewis said. “I specifically targeted Mr. Boehner because he has a 22-year history in the House of Representatives and this whole time, he’s done little to nothing for those babies.”

But Ohio Right to Life says Boehner has one of the strongest anti-abortion voting records in Ohio and in Congress. (more…)

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Tags: Tags: 8th Congressional District, 8th Congressional District Republican primary, David Lewis, John Boehner, John Boehner Cincinnati, John Boehner West Chester

Laura A. Bischoff reports

State Treasurer Josh Mandel is eager to take on Democrat Sherrod Brown in the race for U.S. Senate but first Mandel must beat four other Republicans to formally grab the GOP nomination.

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel was endorsed by the Tea Party Express the same morning, Feb. 20, 2012, he spoke at Voice of America Park’s Ronald Reagan Lodge in West Chester. Photo provided.

The five candidates in the Republican primary are an eclectic group: a state treasurer, a retired auto worker, an orthopedic surgeon, a medical researcher and a retiree who gives tours and manages a taxi business on Put-in-Bay in the summer.

None of the five are fans of the federal Affordable Care Act and all of them recognize the need to find ways to bring jobs to Ohioans in the wobbly economy. And each one of them say voters should give them a chance because of their particular experience.

It would take a major upset for any of the four lesser known candidates to knock off Mandel in the primary. Mandel and Brown have been raising the equivalent of $1 million a month for their expected showdown in the general election, which is expected to be one of the most expensive and most watched Senate campaigns in the country.

A poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found that Brown leads Mandel 48 percent to 35 percent and 47 percent of voters approve of Brown’s job performance. Seventy-one percent of registered voters report that they don’t know enough about Mandel to have an opinion of him.

‘History tells us there will be a race to define Josh Mandel. The question is who has the most money and is most effective doing it,’said Peter Brown, the poll’s assistant director. ‘Brown’s numbers are good; they’re not great.’ (more…)

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Tags: Tags: Cincinnati Tea Party, David Dodt, Donna Glisman, Eric LaMont Gregory, Josh Mandel, Josh Mandel for U.S. Senate, Josh Mandel Tea Party, Liberty Township Tea Party, Michael Pryce, Tea Party, Tea Party Express, West Chester Tea Party

Jane Prendergast reports:

The Sunday political talk shows emphasized what we already know: Voters could solidify the Republican presidential race on Super Tuesday, and what happens in Ohio is a crucial piece.

Newt Gingrich was the only Republican presidential candidate to visit West Chester when he spoke at the Back Porch Saloon Saturday, March 3. Photo taken by Tony Jones.

Ohio sits between the home states of frontrunners Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney and offers 66 convention delegates – the second-highest number of all 10 states with voting Tuesday. A poll released Sunday showed the two men in a statistical dead heat here.

Ohio’s also a key state for Newt Gingrich, who spent a lot of time here and needs a decent showing Tuesday if he’s going to break back into serious contention for the nomination. He predicted on all the talk shows – he appeared on five Sunday – that he’ll do “pretty well” in Ohio, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Santorum and Romney continue to criss-cross the state today, and Santorum will spend Election Night in Steubenville.

Santorum has the support of 34 percent of likely Republican voters, while Romney has 32 percent, according to the NBC/Marist poll.

Gingrich follows with 15 percent, Ron Paul with 13.

Paul acknowledged on Face the Nation that while he would like to win the nomination, equal in his motivation is to educate voters about Libertarian values. He thinks he’ll win three states Tuesday: Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota.

“But things happen in this world,” he said, “that we don’t have total control of.”

Gingrich predicted he’ll get a “very, very decisive victory” in Georgia, his home state, something the NBC News/Marist poll suggested as well. Georgia offers the most delegates Tuesday, with 76.

He told George Stephanopolous on ABC’s “This Week” that Romney’s “not a very convincing” frontrunner.

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Tags: Tags: GOP primary Ohio, Mitt Romney, newt gingrich, Newt Gingrich Ohio, Newt Gingrich rally, Newt Gingrich rally West Chester, Newt Gingrich Super Tuesday, Newt Gingrich West Chester, Rick Santorum, ron paul, Super Tuesday Ohio

Jane Prendergast reports:

Newt Gingrich and his wife, Callista, spent an hour at the Back Porch Saloon on Princeton Glendale Road this morning. He started with a speech with some of his usual themes – $2.50 gas, not bowing to a Saudi king, liberals don’t want us to have more oil, Obama’s apology over the burning of Korans.

He he stayed to greet every one of the about 200 people who showed up and posed for pictures, including with the Butler County Teen Republicans, many of whom can’t vote Tuesday.

Gingrich talked about drilling for natural gas in Eastern Ohio, which he said would help landowners add value to their property and create jobs. He said he’d institute an “American energy policy.”

Presidential candidate and former Speaker of The House, Newt Gingrich made a morning campaign stop with his wife Callista at the Back Porch in West Chester where most of his speech attacked President Barack Obama and how to lower gas prices. Photos taken by Tony Jones on March 3, 2012.

“We put up with the Saudis funding terrorism,” he said. “We have not had a willingness to develop an American energy policy.”

As supporters everywhere have, the Back Porch crowd loved his line about never again, if he’s elected, would an American president “bow to a Saudi king.”

He had the crowd laughing with one thing in particular that he said about President Obama. Talking about Obama’s willingness to drill for natural gas but not for oil, Gingrich said that showed “a level of intellectual confusion that is breathtaking.”

He asked supporters to go on their Facebook pages and type: “Newt=$2.50/gal. gas.” “It’s amazing,” he said, “how that’s working.” He also asked them to consider donating to his campaign “one dollar of Newt gas,” or $2.50, and to ask their friends to do the same. “Or they could get excited and give 10 gallons,” he said.

Of his 172,000 donors, he said 95 percent of them have given less than $250.

Bar owner Jim Schmalz said he’ll open his place – he’s owned it 30 years – for any candidate who wants to speak.

“I get a good cross section in here, so I hear what people are talking about,” he said. “I think people don’t want to hear all the fighting in Washington. God, it wears me out.”

Gingrich is taping the Mike Huckabee show at noon in Wilmington with Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, then heads to Bowling Green for a Lincoln Day dinner, where Santorum also will be.

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Tags: Tags: Callista Gingrich, GOP primary Ohio, newt gingrich, Newt Gingrich Ohio, Newt Gingrich rally, Newt Gingrich rally West Chester, Newt Gingrich Super Tuesday, Newt Gingrich West Chester